Sirisha Bandla is an Indian-American aeronautical engineer and employee of Virgin Galactic. She holds the position of Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations. Bandla recently participated in the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 mission, earning her the title of the second Indian-born woman and fourth Indian-origin person to cross the Kármán line into space, following Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, and Sunita Williams.
Born in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, in a Telugu Hindu household, Bandla spent her early years between her grandfather’s house in Hyderabad and her hometown.